Snapshot
by Sevi007
Summary: (Post-Game, light Spoilers) Posing to have his picture taken is really not what Nero had in mind, and having his picture taken with his… father… was not something that had even occurred to him before. Not that it was a bad thing, just... Could they maybe have all this without their friends poking fun at them?


In retrospect, nobody could have said how they had ended up her, squinting against the sun's glare, forcing something like smiles onto their faces and ending up with grimaces that could have scared demons off.

Well, actually, Nero mused while he glowered through narrowed eyes and painful smile-attempts at Nico, who was doing grimaces and silly poses behind the camera Morrison had set up, _actually_, he _did _know who was at least responsible for this uncomfortable situation.

Had Nico not dug out the photo albums Kyrie kept during their impromptu get together, he wouldn't be here.

Had everyone not immediately jumped on the opportunity of seeing pictures of him, Kyrie and the kids at all stages in their lives, this wouldn't have happened.

Had Nico not said way too loud that she had not yet managed to take a picture of Vergil, elusive as the man could be when he wanted to, there was no way in Hell that he would have been dragged out of here to take part in this.

And most of all – had Kyrie not looked so delighted at the idea, not even the whole mob together could have gotten him to agree. This way, he had been trapped as soon as he had spotted her sparkling eyes.

Okay, so _maybe _it was not all Nico's fault, he had to grouchily admit. That only made it a _little_ better, though.

Nero shifted uneasily - only to bump into the man next to him. Instinctively he pulled back, mumbling something that could have counted as an apology (he _had _noticed how jumpy the other was when someone touched him without warning, he wasn't dumb after all). Still his gaze flickered up and caught, and a snort left him.

Vergil's gaze shifted from a point beside Nico down to him, one eyebrow lifting inquisitively. "Yes?"

"Uh," Nero didn't know whether to laugh or be annoyed for a second, but amusement won out, "If you keep glaring daggers at Dante, we're gonna be here for a _long_ time."

It could have been a trick of the light, but he could have sworn the corner of the man's… his father's lips twitched a tiny bit upwards before his piercing gaze swung away again. "Hm. He is enjoying this way too much."

"Yeah, duh? It's Dante. Did you expect otherwise?"

"If you put it like that, I can't argue."

"Uh-huh, see."

"Guuuuys," that was Patty's voice, drawing the word out in a clear sign of annoyance. "Could you two, just, smile at the camera already?We've been standing here for _hours_."

He usually really liked the girl – anyone calling Dante a lazy old man was a friend in his books – but now Nero couldn't help but glare daggers at her, too. "It's only been _ten minutes_."

"Feels like hours though."

Well, he couldn't argue with that. It really did. But he was also the one standing in the limelight, so _he_ had every right to feel that way. "I still don't know why _everyone _had to be here when we get a photo taken."

"Because I don't believe Vergil knows how to smile until I see it with my own two eyes," Trish answered with a shrug, earning a chortling sound from Lady. "_Obviously." _

_Maybe _that was a good explanation, but Nero was not about to say that when he was standing right next to his already pissed off father.

At least he _thought _the other was pissed off. It was hard to tell with that stoic expression.

(Alright, so Trish's explanation made _a lot _of sense.)

"Uh, people, you made the glowering worse," Morrison pointed out, looking from the camera back up at the two unwilling participants and then back to the lurking group. "Really not helpful."

"Just say _Cheese!_ you two!"

"No way in fuckin' Hell am I saying that!"

"Nero, language."

"Uh, sorry, Kyrie. Still not saying it."

"I've been trying silly faces," Nico threw in, pulling another grimace which seemed heartfelt this time. "No luck."

"Because it just makes you look stupid," Nero muttered, quiet enough this time so Kyrie wouldn't hear it.

He thought he caught a puff of breath from next to him that _could _have been a chuckle, but when he glanced over quickly, Vergil was as stoic and quiet as ever.

"Okay, fear not people, I've got this," Dante pushed his way through the assembled people, ruffling Patty's hair – earning loud protests – and playfully punching Morrison's shoulder as he went. His grin didn't bode well, or at least Nero thought so – and felt validated in that observation when Dante swung around once he reached them, easily slipping into Nero's personal space on the other side of him, arm falling into place over the younger's shoulders and firmly locking him in place.

"Hey, what-…," Nero protested, half-heartily attempting to shove the offending grip off.

"Relax, kid," jostling him slightly, Dante grinned over at him, wagging his eyebrows playfully. "Just do it like I do – show some teeth."

"Does growling at you count?" Nero inquired. "Because I feel like growling at you right now."

(Another of those breathy huffs, and _damn it _he really wanted to be quick enough to catch a smile on Vergil's face, little as it might be.)

Dante had no qualms about laughing out loud. "If you can growl _friendly_, we will let it slide. Hey, look at it like this: The sooner you smile like you're _not_ getting your teeth pulled right now, the quicker you're outta here. Okay?"

Nero was about to snap back something when he caught the look in the older's eyes. That was not all playfulness and amusement at their uncomfortable situation – there was real concern there, too. He had learned to pick that out, slowly but surely, but why would Dante feel concerned…?

_Oh_, flitted through his mind when Dante's gaze flicked from him to Vergil and back. _Oh! _

"I'm…. Okay."

"Yeah, kid?"

"Yeah," Nero repeated, nodding – because he _was_. He was okay, standing here, next to this stranger who had been friend and enemy both and now was… somewhere more friend, still a stranger, maybe, not an enemy very likely, but ultimately also his _father, _confusing as that was. Nero didn't feel uncomfortable being close to Vergil, or having his picture taken with him… to be honest, he actually might _like _to have a photo of the two of them to look at and look back at. He simply could have done without the audience, but if they were this close already…

He was not going to back down _now_.

"Yeah, I'm okay," he repeated for good measure, managing a crooked smile.

"Good to hear," Dante's grip on him loosened marginally, and his grin widened. "Alright, you know the drill – camera over there, _smile, _and it's gonna be over in a blink_." _

"I _know _how this works, old man," Nero grumbled, shoving an elbow into the elder's ribs for good measure.

"Oh _good _because it sure didn't look like it – ow. Okay kid, I need those ribs still, cool it," another reprimanding glance towards Nero, before Dante sent a much sterner gaze over at Vergil. "Verge, try to look like you're not thinking about painful deaths for, like, one minute, alright."

"If you stop it with the nicknames, maybe," came the quiet answer. This time, it was Nero who snorted. Loud.

"That's it, keep that good mood," Dante observed, chuckling. Then he turned around to the group watching them, raising his voice, "Okay, ready to go, everyone!"

"I still don't see why you snuck in there in the first place!" Lady gave back, gesturing at the three of them idly. "You weren't supposed to _be_ in that picture."

"Because I brighten every picture I'm in," Dante retorted, shaking his hair out for good measure (and absolutely unnecessarily so, Nero found).

"Pffff," Trish threw her hands up, almost knocking a chortling Nico over. "And we don't?"

"Yeah, well, you're not in here, are you?"

"We would be out of this much quicker if you could stop talking…" Nero mused with no real heat behind it, feeling Vergil shift next to him.

"Oh yeah?" There was an unholy glint to Patty's eyes as she seemed to think Dante's comment over. "Now I want in there, too."

A shift went through the crowd – and if Nero had thought that Dante's grin had been foreboding, than the glances exchanged between their friends now was downright terrifying. Even Dante seemed to think so, if the way his smirk wavered was any indication.

"Morrison," Nico started, a wide grin almost splitting her face, "this thing got a selftimer?"

"Sure does."

"Uh-oh…"

Demon hunters and inhuman reflexes or not, the rest happened to quickly for the three of Sparda's kin to react properly to it. Someone laughed, someone shouted what sounded like "GO!" and then way too many people surged towards the three of them way too fast, a blur of movement and a crescendo of footsteps and giggles and shouts. Before this all registered or even _started _to make sense, Nero was slammed to the side as someone squeezed between and past him and Vergil, and then fell the other way when Dante stumbled forward with a surprised shout, dragging Nero with him with the arm still over his shoulders.

Nero swore, trying to catch his footing, hand shouting out blindly to grasp for something so he might keep his balance.

A steadying hand wrapped around his forearm, abruptly and seemingly effortlessly pulling him back and upright again. When he turned his head to see whom he had to thank for that, he found himself staring right into eyes the same shade of blue as his.

"Alright?"

Vergil's voice was as quiet as always, almost lost in the shuffle of bodies and rustling of clothing and the continuing chatter. But Nero heard, clear as day – and saw the flicker of _something_ in that impassive face. Something that…

Something that made him smile like an absolute idiot, he was sure.

He _had _started to learn picking out the concern in Dante's face, miniscule as it was… and even if he didn't like it, Vergil _had _the same features as his twin. In this, they were absolutely identical.

A quietly cleared throat drew Nero's attention again, and he realized that he was still grinning _way_ too brightly at Vergil, whose face was starting to fall back into a frown again, and hastened to croak out, "Fine! I'm fine."

The tiniest of nods, and Vergil pulled his hand back.

Nero almost wished he could have stopped smiling just as easily. Almost.

"You guys just _have _to always steal my spotlight, don't you?" Dante lamented, half-heartedly pretending to shove Patty off where she had jumped onto his back, arms wrapped around his neck like chains.

"To be fair, you provoked it," the young woman declared, squealing in glee when the demon hunter swung her left and right a few times in jest.

"Hey now, hey!" Lady protested, ducking away under the younger female being hurled around. "Careful, we're trying to take a picture here!"

"Let them goof around, we are more than enough to _brighten _any picture by ourselves," Trish's grin was big and catlike, and she started laughing when Dante pointed at her and exclaimed, "You stole my _line, _you!"

"Be glad I didn't use that other one…"

"No, don't remind me-…"

"_Fill your soul with light?" _

"Oh _come on, _will you ever let that go?!"

"Morrison!" Nico popped up from somewhere behind the crowd, flinging one arm over Vergil's shoulder to lean over him. Nero noted in fascination that the other did, in fact, not flinch away from it. "Hit that button, before they get in a fight again!"

"I'm on it, I'm on it, sheesh!"

Various shouts of encouragement and tease broke out, answered by Morrison's deep laughter. Nero's ears had long since started ringing, but he couldn't really bring himself to care anymore…

"Excuse me, can I squeeze in here?"

… and his grin only brightened when Kyrie carefully slipped under Dante's arm, still over his shoulder, and snuggled against his chest. Bright eyes full of laughter and warmth turned up to him as she said quietly, "Hey."

"Hey," Nero was sure Nico would have laughed at him for how soft he sounded right now, but he didn't actually give a fuck. Wrapping his arm around his girlfriend, he murmured, "Not the picture we had actually agree on…"

"Oh, I might like this one better, even," Kyrie interrupted him gently, hand covering his. "Don't you think it's nice?"

Nero craned his head as best as he could, trying to take in the mess – Patty hanging over Dante's shoulder, Dante leaning half over Nero to punch his twin in the shoulder, Lady pushing herself up on Trish's shoulder to be taller than their friend and eliciting laughter from the blonde, Nico talking animatedly to Vergil about something or other while the other listened without a sound –

"Pretty nice," Nero agreed, gaze meeting Kyrie's again. She was _beaming_, really, that much better than the sun with its harsh sunbeams making him squint, thank you fucking much, and he really, really wanted to kiss her right then.

She always had known that he would love to have a family, hadn't she?

"Okay, got it! Everyone get ready!" Morrison dove around the camera, where a light had started to blink like a visual countdown, running over to them to join Trish's other side. After a quick scuffle, Trish managed to snatch his hat off his head – it had gone forgotten – and everyone threw themselves in poses.

Ah, well. Maybe that kiss would have to wait. Reluctantly, Nero drew back, standing straight again.

A warm pressure against between his shoulder blades made him startle, and he blinked over, near disbelieving.

Vergil hadn't moved an inch apart from the hand resting lightly, haltingly, on Nero's back, eyes still firmly on the camera, but there was the faintest hint of what could very easily pass as a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Nero grinned, and he was pretty sure he saw that halting smile stretch a little bit, before he whipped around and grinned in anticipation of the flashlight, heart feeling light and smile real and honest.

"Say _Cheese!" _Nico hollered as the light blinked again.

"I thought we're not saying that?!"

"Just _smile, _you dumbass!"

"Guys, camera is over there!"

"Cheeeeeese!"

"Cheese!"

"Pizza!"

"What?!"

"Why would you say pizza?!"

"'Cause it makes me smile!"

"Oh my god, get me out of here."

"Ahahaha!"

"CHEESE!"

The light flashed, the shouts where dizzying, the laughter following afterwards deafening – but Nero didn't give a damn. Squeezed in between his family, arms wrapped tightly around Kyrie, he couldn't stop laughing himself.

He really couldn't wait to see _this_ picture find its place into the album.


End file.
